Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro’s plane was seized by US authorities in the Dominican Republic, according to a report.
The Dassault Falcon 900 – which has been pictured with Maduro on state visits all over the world – was taken after US authorities determined that it was acquired in violation of US sanctions and other criminal issues, two US officials told CNN.
The US flew the plane to Florida on Monday, the sources said.
“This sends a message all the way up to the top,” one of the US officials told CNN.
“Seizing the foreign head of state’s plane is unheard-of for criminal matters. We’re sending a clear message here that no one is above the law, no one is above the reach of US sanctions.”
Maduro’s plane was estimated to be worth about $13 million. It was not clear why it had been in the Dominican Republic in recent months.
The seizure was executed by multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations; Commerce agents, the Bureau of Industry and Security; and the Justice Department, CNN said.
The US also worked closely with the Dominican Republic, which informed Venezuela of the seizure, one of the US officials said.
The next steps will be pursuing forfeiture – which will give the Venezuelan government a chance to petition for the airplane – and collecting evidence from the plane, the outlet continued.
The seizure is an escalation in the tense relationship between the US and Venezuela, as the US investigates alleged corruption within the Venezuelan government.
Over the years, the US has tried to disrupt the flow of cash to the Maduro regime, with Homeland Security Investigations seizing dozens of luxury cars and other assets en route to the country, CNN explained.
In August, the US said that there was no evidence that Maduro won the latest presidential election in July.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, 62, ripped the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council’s (CNE) vote tally as “deeply flawed” and unrepresentative of the “will of the Venezuelan people,” in a statement released by the State Department.
The US also reimposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas sector earlier this year in response to the Maduro government’s failure to allow a fair election.
After the contested July 28 election, Venezuela suspended commercial flights to and from the Dominican Republic.
In March 202, the US Department of Justice charged Maduro and 14 other current and former officials with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and corruption.
There is a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The situation in Venezuela has a major impact on US politics, as millions of migrants elect to leave the country in favor of crossing the US-Mexico border.
As of June 2024, 7.7 million people have fled Venezuela – the largest displacement in the Western hemisphere.
“We see these officials and the Maduro regime basically fleecing the Venezuelan people for their own gain,” a US official told CNN.
“You have people who can’t even afford a loaf of bread there and then you have the president of Venezuela jetting around in a high-class private jet.”
